The Period Chronicles
by Mrs Scorpius Malfoy
Summary: AU!High School. SasuSaku. Haruno Sakura just got her period. She didn't know how big the consequences of that could be. Not until she accidentally yelled out how sore she was in front of Uchiha Sasuke. WARNING: all the symptoms of a girl having her period.
1. Bloody Stain

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is solely written for fanservicing. All known characters and plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the publishers of the Naruto series.

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**The Period Chronicles**

**Bloody Stain**

"Oh my god... _no._"

Sakura had never felt like going to the washroom was a problem. In fact, she was a proud bearer of a strong bladder, which let her sit through the oh-so-boring Philosophy classes taught by Kakashi-sensei. She usually found those classes interesting, but Kakashi-sensei's tendency of giving his students homework while he read his porn made his class truly unappealing.

But Sakura enjoyed most of her classes, most of them being science related as she wanted to become a doctor when she graduated from college. She was now in her final year at Konoha High, getting all the applications in for next year's new adventure. Her seventeen year old self found success in many areas of her life. She was one of the top students at Konoha High, quite sociable, and had a lovely relationship with her mom and dad.

"Sakura, is that you in there?"

Ino always purposely went to the girl's restroom at least five times a day, just to 'take a rest' from her least favourite classes.

That was Ino's voice. Ahh shit, what to do! The girl scratched the top of her pink head, looking down at her underwear. It was so embarrassing, how could she not know that it was coming today? Girls always had that weird sixth sense that just told them when it was coming.

Sakura's sixth sense failed her that month, as she had to run away from Kakashi-sensei's class like her life depended on it. She made it to the toilet just in time. The luck of wearing a skirt as a uniform had never seemed so fortunate. She could just pull down her underwear and do the deed. She felt so _relaxed_ after finishing her business that life couldn't get any better.

However, it was that _stain_ that told her that her trip to the girl's restroom wasn't finished.

Because it was right there. That damned stain that ruined all of her good underwear!

"Ummm... Ino?" she asked shyly, sounding a lot like her other friend Hinata.

The blonde girl peeked her hand at the top part of the stall, showing Sakura that she was standing on the other side. Sakura felt relieved and lucky knowing that her best friend had been the one to find her in such a compromising situation. If someone else, some one like Karin had found her, then Sakura would have been doomed.

Why was it always like this? She should've been born a _boy_.

"What's up? Can I come in?" Ino inquired worriedly.

The two girls had been best friends for years, being in the same schools since Kindergarten. Ino was the one first person who had ever called her beautiful. The moment that those words had come out of the blonde girl's mouth, Sakura had known that they were meant to be friends until death separated them. Well, that was a little exaggerating but the was entitled to think those things, she was a woman dammit!

"Yeah, just a sec!"

She quickly pulled up her panties and straightened out her skirt, trying to look more presentable. After unlocking the stall's door, Ino came in, her blond hair up in a high ponytail while her bangs covered one green eye. She was wearing the same uniform as Sakura; the black kilt and white polo with the symbol of Konoha High stitched on her left side. They always had matching stockings, and this day the two friends had chosen to wear white knee-high socks that contrasted with their black shoes.

Sakura was now regretting the choice of white stockings. What if _it_ was flowing so much that it ran down her leg and stained her socks! That would be the most embarrassing thing _ever_.

"Oh goodness, Sakura, you're breaking out so bad!"

The girl touched her forehead and Ino was right. She was starting to her pimples all over her face! There were already three –no, _ten!_—bumps in her forehead, and she didn't even want to feel her cheeks. It was doomsday, Sakura's mind concluded. It couldn't get any worse than this. Not even Karin's pestering or Lee's declarations of love could top this off.

"I just got my period and I don't even have a tampon!" she cried out in desperation. The hormones were starting to kick in too, unfortunately.

_Damn her period! _Inner Sakura was already putting on her boxing gloves, ready to beat the shit out of her fallopian tubes.

"Let me just..."

Ino searched through the hidden pockets in her kilt while Sakura's insides panicked. What if she had left a mark in one of the lunch chairs? Or worse, on one of the classroom chairs? You couldn't disguise a blood stain as a ketchup spill or a rotten tomato. The pink haired girl tried to remember the last time she had gotten her period, and it was in fact her time to get it again. She hadn't been paying attention to her calendar because of all the extra homework that teachers had assigned to prepare the last grade for university.

Ugh, how she hated having her time of the month! It was worse when she didn't prepare for it. Like _now._

She had no pills, no tampons, and no anti-acne cream. To make things _even worse_, she had no chocolate or ice cream at arm's length to binge on. Life was so cruel.

"Here!"

Ino showed her a long tube that contained a skin colour liquid. It was the one thing Ino carried with her everywhere she went. She called it her true best friend, much to Sakura's chagrin. The blonde girl could be so materialistic sometimes.

"Ino, that's not a tampon!" Sakura's yell quieted when she said the last word, as if she was trying to hide her true issue from the thin walls of Konoha High. Who knew, maybe Naruto and Kiba were on the other side of the washroom listening to their embarrassing conversation!

"No, but it will cover up your acne until it's time to go home, dear Sakura." Ino responded by patting Sakura's pink hair like a little child. It was so unfair, Sakura was almost six months older than her and she was the one being treated like a toddler!

The blonde girl ignored her protests and opened the tube. Sakura frowned in irritation. She suddenly felt a painful flinch on her very swollen belly and covered it with her arms, "Ahh it hurts, Ino! Do something!"

Sakura let out more pained cries, regretting every fiber of her womanhood. She once again wished to have been born a boy; they had it so easy! She imagined her pink haired self walking around shirtless and with hairy legs, not giving a flying damn about an exposed chest and unshaved legs!

"Stop protesting and OH-MY-GOD"

Ino stopped applying foundation on Sakura's face and looked at the floor panicked. Sakura followed her eyes and was shocked to see two little blood stains on the white ceramic. Her eyes followed the trail of blood that had stained the floor until it reached her mid-calf —or rather, the middle of her white knee-length stockings! She had not only stained the girl's washroom floor, but also her very, very white pair of stockings that were meant to make her legs look pretty.

After Sakura let out a squeal, she quickly took a piece of toilet paper and wiped them. It was clear that her favourite pair of undies was stained as well and she needed a tampon, _immediately._

"Sakura, you're bleeding so much!" Ino knelt down and rolled down the pink haired girl's socks, with the intention of hiding the stain.

"This is so embarrassing!" she cried in desperation.

"Hey, at least your acne isn't that visible—" Ino didn't finish her sentence when she saw a flash of anger run through Sakura's eyes. The blonde girl laughed lightly and flipped her ponytail casually, "Ne, ne, Sakura. We'll find a solution. Let's just hope that you didn't leave a trail of blood from Kakashi-sensei's classroom to the bathroom," she added jokingly, but the other girl's expression made her regret her words.

"Ino!" Sakura smacked her friend in her arm. The space in the bathroom cubicle was getting too small for the two girls, so they decided to exit it and continue their –or rather, Sakura's—issue in the washroom sinks.

Sakura stared at her reflection in the mirror. Ino was right; her skin was breaking out really bad. She groaned childishly, not wanting to go back to class knowing that everyone would notice the symptoms of her period. Ugh, Karin would definitely take advantage of this situation and make fun of her!

Ino gleefully finished covering up all the signs of pimples on Sakura's face with a grin on her expression. Why was she taking this so lightly? It wasn't fun! Whenever Ino had her period, all hell broke loose. But when Sakura had her period, noooo she couldn't afford to act selfishly. Ino would shrug it off and continue with her oh-so-happy life. Stupid, spoiled best friend!

"Et voila," Ino exclaimed, "Your face is as good as new!"

Sakura watched her skin tone with attention and then wrinkled her nose.

"Ino, I look like a cake now" she complained. The patches of foundation were really visible against her pale skin. Ino had a different tone than her, so it was obvious that the blonde girl had applied tons of makeup on her acne. It was like Sakura's pale skin had random dots of a more tanned shade. It was a horrible job, but Sakura knew that she couldn't say that aloud. Ino would take it as the greatest offense in the Five Great Nations.

"Well, it's much better than before, ne?" Ino placed her hands on her hips, obviously trying to ignore her best friend's protests. "We better get going before Kakashi-sensei gives you detention."

"His class is almost over. Can we go see Shizune-sensei at the infirmary and ask her for a billion tampons?" Sakura asked. She was well aware that Ino would do anything to stay out of class. It was a Friday, after all. Ino never felt like going to school on Fridays.

The blonde girl agreed to her best friend's request without hesitation. She grabbed Sakura's hand and the two girls walked quickly towards the washroom exit. Ino, in front of her, pushed the door open and exited with no problem. Sakura, on the other hand, was a different story.

She was so immersed in her worries of leaving a blood trail behind every step she took that she didn't notice the person walking in front of her. Ino had already let go of her hand and had taken a few steps ahead, whereas Sakura's pace had slowed down with her lingering thoughts. Ino's squeal was just a millisecond before the pink haired girl had bumped into someone else's arm, sending a stinging sensation to her chest.

"Ah my boobs are _soooo_ swollen and they—"

She didn't just bump into a guy and yelled out how sore her boobs were. Nope, she didn't.

She bumped into Uchiha Sasuke and proclaimed that her chest was swollen. Yep, that was it.

And he was looking at her —no, he was glaring at her. He didn't say a word, but the irritation in his black eyes was enough for Sakura to know that her reputation was going downhill by the second. Uchiha Sasuke wasn't a person of many words. He utilized his eyes as a communication devise so much that Sakura had to wonder many times if he had difficulties speaking.

Sakura, on the other hand, was well aware of her spontaneous outbursts. Especially when she was on her period. And the situation she had put herself in was so embarrassing because Uchiha Sasuke was not only the quietest person in the planet. He was also chased after by most of the girls on their grade, and if they found out about her sudden outburst concerning her boobs, shit would go down.

This day couldn't get any worse.

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_Hi everyone! This is a splurge of inspiration that I had to let out before it haunted me in my sleep. I've never written and AU, much less a high school fic. Well, it's fun to try new things!_

_Tell me what you think ;)_

_Sincerely,_

_Mrs Scorpius Malfoy_


	2. Bloody Cravings

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is solely written for fanservicing. All known characters and plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the publishers of the Naruto series.

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**The Period Chronicles**

**Bloody Cravings**

It actually could get worse. There were random skin coloured stains of Uchiha Sasuke's clean, white polo shirt. Sakura's insides panicked while her mind thought of all the disastrous situations this accident could bring her. Not to mention that Uchiha Sasuke's arm wasn't flabby either. It was rather nice and firm, Inner Sakura agreed. The girl felt a rush of heat up her neck when Sasuke noticed her staring at his limb.

Thank goodness Ino interrupted the awkward moment.

"Sasuke-kun, what a lovely surprise!" she exclaimed, putting on one of her silly grins, "Are classes over? What class do you have now anyway? Skipping it? Hahaha! Is it lunch yet?" Ino could go on and on without stopping.

Her outburst of questions was enough for Sakura to quietly sneak behind the Uchiha boy and sprint towards Konoha High's infirmary wing. She could still hear Ino's fake, loud giggles. The blonde girl always giggled when she was caught in a compromising situation, or when she knew that something was wrong. Sakura, on the other hand, preferred to take flight. This was what she was doing, unashamedly. She didn't look back until the door to Shizune-sensei's office was in her sight. Sakura looked back at the long hallway she ran on, checking to see that there were no blood stains left on the floor.

With a sigh of relief, Haruno Sakura knew that she was saved from public embarrassment. All thanks to her quick feet and Ino's blabbering.

"Sakura-chan!"

Or maybe not.

"Sakura-san!"

Suddenly, she found herself locked between two tall figures, and her bladder wanted to explode _again_. The area around her ovaries wasn't being pleasant either. She was close to gasping for air, caught in a tight embrace by two of her male classmates.

"My Blossom of Youth!"

"Ne, Lee, I think we're suffocating her—"

"Always Blossoming!"

"Lee..."

"My darling Haruno Sakura!"

Sakura's face was turning purple, making the contrast of the foundation strike even more with her skin colour.

"Heavens! Naruto-kun, we must let go of her before she stops breathing!"

If it wasn't because the boys had let go of her in that instant, Sakura would have gathered all the strength she had in her arms and sent two uppercuts right on their jaws. They would deserve it anyway, by interrupting her trip to Shizune-sensei's infirmary.

Uzumaki Naruto scratched the back of his messy blonde hair, accidentally crooking the protector he wore around his forehead. Rock Lee, on the other hand, stared at Sakura with black eyes full of worry. Both boys wore their uniforms, which consisted of a white short-sleeve polo and black pants. They were cautiously waiting for her next reaction, like a predator's prey. Sakura's hormone enhanced senses could feel how rigid those two boys were at the moment.

It was about to come, they knew, judging by Sakura's heavy breathing. The dragon was going to unleash!

"Sakura-chan... why do you have blood stains on your socks?"

If Naruto had held in his curiosity, then the dragon wouldn't have unleashed. But the boy had to open his mouth at the worst moment, like he always did. Sakura slowly turned towards the two boys. They were both taller than her, had bigger bones and bigger muscles. Nonetheless, she was the one who was about to scare the daylights out of them.

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, YOU ASS—"

"Sakura, dear, I found you!"

In less than a second, Sakura had gone from a monstrosity to a tamed beast that was trapped around Ino's exaggerated hold. Ino was well aware of the times when Inner Sakura could take over her best friend's brain and fuck things up. And like the good friend she was, Ino always made sure to be on Sakura's side to fight off the demon that was inside her head.

"Now, now, boys. Sakura is not feeling well, she has the stomach flu and a fever and a cold! I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to hug her now, am I right? You know how diseases spread like when rabbits mate!"

Ah, Ino to the rescue. Although the cover-up was bordering insane.

The blonde girl wrapped one arm around Sakura's shoulders, much to her chagrin. Naruto and Lee looked at both girls questioningly, not entirely sure if they heard Ino's words clearly. Then, they decided that racing to the other side of the school's building was the best idea yet. Sakura was left alone with Ino in the blink of an eye, still trying to comprehend what had just happened in front of her.

"And they better go back to class!" Ino chided with a champion fist. Sakura could only roll her eyes, going back to her normal state. Ah, good thing her bladder didn't feel like exploding anymore.

The blonde girl grabbed her best friend's hand and dragged her to Shizune-sensei's office, not bothering to knock on the door before entering. Sakura was well familiar with the infirmary; she'd been volunteering there for the last two years, and Ino came in very often due to her fake sick notes. The two girls would accompany Shizune-sensei after class, and they were able to create a sort of informal relationship with the school's nurse. After all, Shizune-sensei was young, hip, and cool.

Well, most of the time. The girls weren't ready for the scene that was playing out inside. At least Sakura wasn't ready.

_"WHYYYYYYYYYYY!"_

Because Shizune-sensei wasn't alone. No, she was accompanied by a very large tub of ice cream and none other than Konoha High's headmistress, Tsunade.

"There, there, Shizune. Take this spoon and eat the ice cream with your hands, _please."_

Tsunade and Shizune sat on the infirmary's bed. The older woman was rubbing the younger one's back for comforting purposes. She handed her a silver tablespoon. Sakura had never seen anyone eat so much ice cream in her life. The dark-haired nurse spooned a large amount of ice cream and shoved it in her mouth ungracefully, as thick tears fell down her cheeks. Sakura could feel the heavy question marks setting over her and Ino's heads, not entirely sure of what was happening.

But somehow, Sakura kind-of-not-really-but-surely felt like joining Shizune-sensei in her eating binge.

"Um... Tsunade-sama?"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!" Shizune screamed in desperation.

Sakura had to take a step back at the surprise attack of the school's nurse. Tsunade-sama rubbed her temples, looking as good as always. Seriously, what kind of face cream did that woman use? She had _no_ wrinkles!

"Yamanaka, Haruno, what brings you to the infirmary?" the headmistress asked politely. Nonetheless, the popping vein on her temple was so visible that Sakura could see dancing blood cells in it.

The pink haired girl felt Ino's hand squeeze hers in order to prevent her from running away of the crazy scene playing out in front of them. Shizune-sensei had almost finished with her tub of ice cream, and was starting to munch of a pack of chocolate cookies that looked _waaaaay_ too appetizing for Sakura. She wanted to indulge herself in those as well. Her period always gave her the weirdest cravings. One time, she dragged Hinata along with her to Konoha's Korean BBQ and ate pork for three hours straight. After that occasion, Hinata had appointed herself as the sole decider of restaurants. Sakura had almost traumatized her with the amount of pork she had eaten.

"What's wrong with Shizune-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously.

"There's nothing _wrong _with me!" the alluded woman cried, "I'm just fine and dandy and single! Forever single!"

Sakura felt a sweat drop fall on her temple. It was obvious that the dark-haired nurse was having a panic attack for no reason. Sakura had never heard Shizune-sensei mention a boyfriend or one of those friends with benefits, but perhaps she kept that aspect of her life private. Would she find herself in that same position a few years down the line? How old was Shizune-sensei, anyway? She looked pretty young, in her opinion. She was already calculating the nurse's age by her physique.

Inner Sakura had a little panic attack at the thought of staying single until she was older than the universe and surrounded by multiple breeds of cats.

"I, uh, need a tampon."

Tsunade looked at her with surprised eyes. Sakura wondered why; the infirmary received many girls who had found themselves in the same position as her. It was no shock that Shizune-sensei was the female student body's go-to when it came to menstrual supplies, whereas they were tampons or pain killers. One time, there was a rumour that Karin had such a heavy flow that it was coming out of her nose. Of course, that rumour was completely false since it came from Naruto. Naruto always came up with the weirdest rumours in order to embarrass his cousin. They had a _weird_ relationship. Karin only spoke to her cousin Naruto because he was good friends with Uchiha Sasuke, whereas Naruto treated everyone like best friends. Relatives were always a weird subject at Konoha High. Sakura was happy being a single child in a small family.

"Oh, you too then," the headmistress answered.

Sakura shot up a questioning eyebrow while Ino decided to sit down in another empty chair 'because she was too tired from waking up so early.'

"Shizune-sensei is on her period," Tsunade answered.

No wonder! Shizune-sensei was having the same type of hormone driven ideas that Sakura had been having. It was obvious that menstruation caused drama in all types of women. How hilarious!

"That explains the tub of ice cream," Ino added, signaling the large bucket Shizune was holding –or rather, locking— with her arms.

Before she had been appointed as headmistress of Konoha High, Tsunade had been one of the best doctors that Konoha had seen in years. Sakura was well familiar with her successes; one day, she wished to be as amazing as Tsunade-sama in the medical field. She could also use some of the older woman's beauty. Anyway, Tsunade had usually come to Konoha High to give talks about medicine and how to counter the common flu ever since Sakura could remember. In fact, her most popular lecture was the one about having sex.

After that infamous sex-ed class, all boys had to watch a movie that could help them experiment. Tsunade-sama had encouraged everyone to get to know their bodies. Naruto and Kiba thought that 'borrowing' one of those films that Kiba's sister always hid behind her veterinary books was the best idea ever. Lee later joined them in the pursuits of his own Blossoming Youth. Neji had been reluctant, but came along after he'd gotten into a fight with his uncle. There had been rumours going around that Uchiha Sasuke had also joined the group, but nothing had been completely confirmed. The group of boys swore to never speak of that occasion ever again.

The girls, well, they'd cringed at the thought of a bunch of guys watching an adult film together while... _ew_... Another turnout of that event was that it marked the beginning of Uchiha Sasuke's career as their year's most popular guy. It seemed that half the female student body thought that doing such perverted things was rather arousing. Ino was part of that bandwagon for a bit, but was smart enough to step down from it at the right moment. That right moment was when Karin had decided to hiss at every single girl who was near her beloved Sasuke.

And Sasuke kept his mouth closed like he always did. He would glare at Karin whenever she swooned over him. But then again, he glared at every single person who was near him, Naruto –his best friend—included.

"Um... can I take a cookie, Shizune-sensei?" Sakura asked timidly. Her cravings were kicking in really hard this month.

"Have as many as you want, dear Sakura!" It was like Shizune-sensei had converted into a completely different person. Her face was _beaming_ now. What the hell. She shoved her tray of chocolate cookies right up to Sakura's face.

"By the way, you need to change your stockings, Haruno."

"Tsunade-sama is right, Forehead."

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke thought that he understood women. He lived with his mom, after all. And all women acted the same, right?

Well, wrong.

His mom never squealed like Yamanaka Ino. She didn't run away from him like that annoying Haruno girl. What was her name again? Ah, Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun, will you go out with me?"

And his mom definitely didn't pester him like Karin. He wished that the girl could escape from him whenever he sent her a glare like Haruno Sakura did. The girl was such a pest, but he couldn't push her away without getting Naruto involved. If Sasuke was ever impolite towards one of his best friend's 'precious people', said best friend would give him hell. It already happened once, back when they were eleven and Sasuke had accidentally made a bad comment about Naruto's favourite –yet perverted—uncle Jiraiya.

But hey, he couldn't keep his anger to himself after finding out that his dad was divorcing his mom.

"No."

"But whyyyyyy?"

Karin tugged his arm. Damn, she was following him home again. This day had been more bothersome than the others. Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino had thought that they could get away from their little stunt without getting on his nerves. It had irritated him for the rest of the school day.

"Because I don't want to."

And now Karin was pestering around him like a fruit fly that never left its apple.

Sasuke wondered if it was worth spending another two semesters with that cursed lot of people he called classmates. He could always be homeschooled; his older brother did his last two years of high school at home. Thinking about Itachi only brought more bitterness to his mood, though. His brother was a whole other story that could keep his mood in the darkest of places.

Sasuke didn't want to visit those dark places, at least not at the moment. He had had enough with his annoying female classmates and the younger girls who thought that sticking love notes in his locker was enough to catch his attention. He didn't want to bother with girls and Itachi in his mind. It involved too much thinking for his taste.

"Sasuke-kun, what's that stain on your sleeve?"

Karin's pestering voice had changed tones. She was curiously analysing the skin coloured stains that were on the right sleeve of his white school polo. Her eyes widened in realization as something –Sasuke didn't know what—dawned in her mind.

"Is that _make up?_" she screeched.

Women were so annoying. Except his mother —sometimes.

Sasuke finally connected the dots and remembered how Haruno Sakura's chin had accidentally bumped into his arm while he was roaming around the school. His class was boring –philosophy with Kakashi-sensei—and he'd slipped out of the classroom without the teacher's notice. Kakashi was too immersed in his book to notice that half of his class had already dipped. What kind of a teacher read adult-themed novels in front of his class?

"It's Haruno Sakura's," he responded.

If Sasuke had known the consequences of his words, he wouldn't have said the girl's name in front of Karin.

It was too late. Karin's tight grip had already let go of his arm and Sasuke found himself standing alone in front of his building. Where the girl had gone to? At that moment he didn't care. He only wished to go to his room, lock himself up, and lie on his bed until his mother called for supper.

Nonetheless, he was soon going to find out how much his words had affected everyone's last year at Konoha High.

* * *

_I am just writing away here. Oh and check out my other story. It's called In The Name of Life and it's set in the Shinobi World War. Yes, it's a war fic :3 totally different from this!_

_Sincerely, _

_MSM_


	3. Bloody Plans

**DISCLAIMER:** This story is solely written for fanservicing. All known characters and plot lines belong to Masashi Kishimoto and the publishers of the Naruto series.

* * *

**The Period Chronicles**

**Bloody Plans**

Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto went to college together.

The two women majored in business and were roommates. They shared their sorrows and fears for the future, stayed up all night talking about boys, drank until oblivion when a date went wrong, binged on the best foods when their menstrual cycles were at the same time (and when they were not).

So it was obvious that they were meant to be each other's maid of honour. And that they would meet wonderful men who would also be best friend. Who would provide them happiness and a nice house with cute children running around.

_However..._

In Kushina's case, she found that man. That amazing guy who was studying international development at their college and he was _so_ nice to her, such a gentleman. Minato was also really –really— good looking. She delighted when Naruto was born with his father's pretty blue eyes and messy blond hair. It reminded her of how amazing her husband was. She was happy to be able to have her own job as an editor and come home to a smiling Naruto. She was also glad that Minato had let her take in Karin, her second cousin, when the girl moved from her old town. Kushina sometimes needed to have another female mind in the house to, you know, tolerate Naruto's mischievous attitude.

Nonetheless, she wished her husband had the same job as before. They had been so young when they got married, goodness! Minato and Kushina lived together for their first married years, and celebrated every birthday and milestone like a normal family. Now he had a new job. He was away for six months, travelling from country to country doing diplomatic business. And she was left alone with two teenagers who constantly reminded her that she was getting old. Whoop-dee-doo.

Mikoto, on the other hand, had to marry before she could even finish her studies. She got married during her final year of college, and almost failed her final exams because of the pressure. Kushina was there at every step of the wedding, knowing that it wasn't what her best friend had wanted.

You see, Mikoto was betrothed to Uchiha Fugaku, a very –_very_— distant relative who was much older. She got married when she was barely twenty and he was already thirty one. Back then, it had been a huge age gap for her. It was all supposed to help the Uchiha clan keep the power of their company within the family. Nonetheless, Mikoto had grown to respect her new husband even though he was rather distant. She couldn't blame him, though, he probably had his whole life settled before their clan's elders decided to interrupt his harmony and tell him to tie the knot with a small brat. She felt that they could be friends, and after giving birth to Itachi she started to see the change in her husband.

But then, after Sasuke's birth, everything changed. She was twenty seven and he was thirty eight.

Fights happened in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Before and after they would drop off little Itachi to school while Sasuke stayed with his great aunt Uruchi and great uncle Teyaki. They fought over everything. Over what to do with their house, their car, and their insurance. Whether Mikoto should work or stay home and take care of the kids. Why Fugaku was fully ignoring his youngest son while he prioritized his oldest, and how this was affecting poor little Sasuke.

Several times, Kushina had driven to Mikoto's house while their husbands were at work and watched her cry over her problems. It was like going back to college and stressing over a final exam, but ten times more serious. Kushina always kept a bright smile in her face, hiding away her longing for a husband who was always present, while Mikoto would let out her tears and feel happy of having such a wonderful friend.

Naruto would always accompany his mother to wherever he was going, so he and Sasuke were pretty much meant to be best friends. They would share the same toys, play at the park together, play pranks on their mothers. Sasuke would sleep over at Naruto's house so often that he was like a second son to Kushina. Sometimes, while the mothers were too busy with their work, Itachi would watch over the two boys. Everything seemed perfect for the three children;.

But it was the moment that Mikoto urgently called Kushina, saying that Fugaku had decided to divorce her and take Itachi under his wing, that Naruto and Sasuke knew they were more than friends –they were like brothers.

"We're here!" a sing-song voice announced at the entrance of Sasuke's home.

A good looking red head woman stepped into the living room of his small apartment, holding several brown paper bags filled with groceries. Her large grin was accompanied by a pair of bright eyes, showing how her excitement. Her hair was so long that Sasuke wondered if she would ever trim the ends.

It was that time of the month again. More of a tradition, really. Every month, Kushina and Mikoto would get together and cook all of their favourite foods (which were quite a lot, Sasuke had grown to realize), and spend all evening eating dinner while catching up. Naruto and Sasuke used to eat just as much as their mothers did back when they were in their growing spurt stage. Even though they still ate a lot at seventeen, it wasn't comparable to the amount of food that those two, normal sized women could fit in their stomachs.

Sasuke always wondered how his mother could be so small, yet win a food competition against Naruto.

"Kushina, come to the kitchen! I need the ginger right _now_ for this soup to taste blissfully!"

Also, he wondered how she would spend the rest of the month sticking to small irregular meals. It made no sense to him. Whenever he was hungry, he would eat like a normal human being –excluding Naruto, that idiot was always hungry and always willing to eat all the ramen in the world. His mother, on the other hand, had adapted her stomach to sense when her monthly tradition with Kushina would happen and it would stretch out and accept all the food they prepared.

Speaking of the devil, his best friend stepped into his house right after Kushina and had now settled in Sasuke's favourite chair like he always did. That asshole.

"You're lucky that Karin couldn't come today. She said she was planning something evil against someone, I guess she wants to terrify another one of your followers from lower grades."

"Get off," Sasuke commanded, ignoring his friend's words. It was the same quarrel every time Naruto came over to his house.

"Something about someone touching you –wait, why do I have to get off?" the blond boy tucked in his feet under his legs and crossed his arms, acting stubborn.

"Because that's _my_ chair."

Sasuke stood behind his –_his_— chair and started tilting it back and forth until Naruto fell on the floor. The blond boy let out a cry of pain and protested, filling in every silence of the living room with his annoying loud voice. Neither Mikoto or Kushina bothered to check up on their boys, knowing that this was an almost every day thing for them.

"Damn, bastard! I think you just broke my tailbone!" Naruto yelled, rubbing his behind with an exaggerated expression on his face.

Although they went to the same school and hung out quite often, Naruto had his own group of friends at Konoha High. He spent a lot of time with Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Aburame Shino, that lot. Sasuke preferred to stay in the dark, away from making new friends and definitely away from the female student body that just wanted to _touch_ him. Karin always found him when he was doing his homework alone in a hidden corner at school, but it would be obvious that she knew where he was because Naruto had told her so. Even though the blond idiot did not want his relative and Sasuke to get together, he always found it amusing how his best friend was so annoyed by her pestering. It was like his favourite past time. And Sasuke hated it.

Nonetheless, they were still best friends and loyal to one another. Despite all their contradictions, nothing could separate them. Sasuke knew that he didn't want to see those he loved leave him again. His dad and Itachi did that, and he would never _–ever—_ respect them again. They were cowards; they were no longer his family for leaving his mother behind with nothing but his six year old self and barely any money.

Mikoto had to start all over, and her great aunt and uncle were kind enough to employ her in the administration of their bakery. If it wasn't because Fugaku had left his wife, Sasuke would have never known what being poor, living with a single mother, and earning for one's worth meant.

"Is there anything good today? We can always watch that old movie you have."

Sasuke took over his chair while Naruto went over to turn on the TV. After that, the blond boy grabbed a second chair and placed it beside Sasuke's. He began blabbering about his latest prank with his group of friends, and Sasuke decided to tune out. He always did that anyway. Naruto didn't mind, or at least he didn't seem to mind. Whatever.

"Sasuke, why are you always such a bastard with me?"

Because he never felt like being nice to him in public.

"Shut up, asshole."

Or rather, because Naruto was the brother Sasuke always wanted and never had, and they would never leave each other's side.

* * *

Sakura felt ten pounds lighter. Well, almost ten pounds lighter. The bloated belly was gone, the hideous acne break out was cleared, and her optimism was in check. She survived another torturous week of being on her period, and she was seeing bliss at the moment.

Oh, the joy of not having to worry about staining seats.

"Haruno-san, another lap for your youth!"

However, it meant that she could no longer excuse herself of Gai-sensei's vigorous gym classes. That man had the stamina of a thousand, no lie. Tenten had told her one time that she had seen Gai-sensei jogging laps around Konoha from 5 in the morning until 10, and then teach three gym classes in a row, without feeling fatigued.

What the fuck.

Sakura groaned once she was far away from her gym class teacher, and almost half way done with her last lap around the school's track. Konoha High was a nice, little building that had grown overtime as more students enrolled. It was the only secondary school in their town, so everyone knew everything about everyone. How troublesome, Shikamaru would say. Sakura still liked her secondary school; she'd spent the last three years in it, surrounded by her good friends and quirky teachers that definitely made great anecdotes for when she went off to college.

But it also meant that a person's business was everyone's. Ever since her little incident in the girl's washroom, her bumping into Uchiha Sasuke, and then finding Shizune-sensei binging on ice cream everyone had seemed to pay new attention to her. Before, Sakura was known as one of the smartest students in her year, someone who held a close group of friends but was still approachable by others. She never got caught cheating or smoking at the back of the building. She always smiled politely and even rejected Rock Lee's love proposals without putting a show.

She had been lucky of not letting her fiery side come out whenever she had her period. Inner Sakura liked to fool around with Outer Sakura during her time of the month, but Ino was skilled enough to fight off the little monster.

But that totally changed when –somehow— Karin found out about her little incident and it spread amongst students like fire. Sakura was now the 'embarrassing girl who was trying to get on with Uchiha Sasuke even though she was leaking blood like a waterfall.' Thanks, Karin. Really.

"And finish that lovely lap in the name of fertility!"

Even the teachers found out about it. Sakura was ready to punch Gai-sensei right in his balls, but realized that the man would never say that to humiliate her on purpose. He was just really into being young and fertile.

The rest of her class wasn't.

When Sakura had gotten to the finish line of the school's track, most of her gym classmates were laughing loudly at their teacher's proclamation. Karin's laugh was the loudest. Sakura thought of how she would look like if her glasses were shattered on the ground and her hair ripped out of her skull. Nonetheless, before Sakura could do anything, _dear_ Ino and _lovely_ Hinata stepped in and took her by the hands towards the girls' change room. Her friends knew her fiery reactions too well to have the Inner Sakura monster roam around freely.

"Ugh, she's just so—!"

"I know."

"—such a bitch, Ino! You can't just say 'you know.' She didn't humiliate you in front of everyone like she did to me! And how the hell did she find out about me bumping into Uchiha-san? It was just an accident. I don't even talk to him!"

"Um... Sakura... m-my hand is turning... purple."

"Yeah, mine too."

"Oh, sorry."

Sakura's back touched the ceramic walls of the change room and she dragged herself down, exhaling in frustration. She wasn't supposed to get made fun of; people were supposed to like her because she was smart and willing to help. How could her image get ruined so drastically at the turn of a week? All because she bumped into Uchiha Sasuke and left some of her make up on his shirt? Seriously?

"We need to do something about this."

Ino had settled down in front of the pink haired girl with her legs criss-crossed, looking determined. Hinata, being the gentle soul she was, nodded lightly, probably thinking about the consequences of Ino's words.

"I'm not the type of person who would reach Karin's low level. She's always tried to bother me, Ino. This will just go in oblivion next week." Sakura knew her words were more lie than truth. With the way Karin kept pestering her, it was only meant that the girl had something else under the sleeve. But she couldn't find a reason why Karin would try to ruin her so much. It was all just meaningless drama, the kind that only happened in secondary school.

"That's true, but we can probably ask someone like Kiba or Naruto to get her back on your behalf," Ino offered.

"N-Naruto-kun wouldn't do that, they're cousins," Hinata said, blushing furiously when she said the boy's name.

Ever since Sakura could remember, Hinata's insecure personality had always countered her chances of talking –or rather, being around—Uzumaki Naruto. Sakura was a good friend of the boy, even though he could be an asshole most of the time, and his cousin was one of her least favourite people. But she knew that Naruto's intentions only meant well. He was a huge prankster, but an even greater friend. If the talk around the school was right, Naruto was Sasuke's childhood best friend and nothing could separate them. Sakura still wondered how two completely different people could find something in common, but she had never ventured out to ask Naruto about his friendship with one of the most popular boys at Konoha High.

Sakura looked intently at her quiet friend, "If anything had to be done, it needs to be getting you to at least get to know Naruto before the school year ends, dear Hinata."

In fact, Sakura had never been interested in that kind of gossip; she was smart enough to focus on her studies while most girls found Uchiha Sasuke more interesting than a dog with two heads. But she was still aware that everyone at Konoha High knew about Hinata's infatuation with Uzumaki, except him. How ironic.

The alluded girl was about to faint as Ino proclaimed, "Oh, oh I have the perfect plan for that! Hinata, you will love it, and Sakura, you will take part in it too! I am _such_ a genius."

"I doubt about that, pig" Sakura muttered under her breath. Ino could bring more chaos than peace with her plans.

"What did you say,_ forehead?_"

And in fact, she did.

* * *

_Let's see where this is going. I'm honestly following whatever my mind comes up with. This is more of a fun exercise, to see if I can write humor. Nothing serious :P_

_What did you guys think? It shows you and insight on Sasuke's story. I always thought it would be cool to have his parents divorced; it's very uncommon in fanfics. AND it brings more drama, weehee! Not that divorce is a good thing, I believe that those decisions belong to the people involved only. I'm not going for or against it._

_Well, what do the girls have prepared? And how will Ino's plan affect Sakura in the future? Hmm Hmmm?_

_Take care :)_

_MSM_


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